Posts Tagged ‘Buffalito Wrangler’

It’s still a long way off (though I really need to book my flights, now that I’m thinking about it), but in addition to the latest Progress Report landing in my email box, I’ve seen another sign of the impending Worldcon in San Antonio.

I refer of course to the morning tradition called “Strolling with the Stars.”

Bobbie DuFault is filling in for Stu Segal this year, and she recently sent out a query. I’m not sure if it went out to all the folks who have put in for programming, or merely to those of us who have strolled in the past. In any case, even though panel assignments are probably still a long way off, I have strolling on my mind now.

I generally try to stroll on two separate mornings (the exception being the Montreal Worldcon where a back injury prevented me from even managing much cane-assisted walking), and pending conflicts from counter-programming on panels, the SFWA business meeting, and/or the annual Codex breakfast that I organize, it is my expectation that I will do so this year as well. And of course, Barry will be strolling too (albeit from the lofty perch of my left shoulder).

I’ve had this information for a few days now, but I’ve been letting it sit and settle (and dry and bake and gel) in case there were any surprise changes. There haven’t been, so I’m feeling fairly confident that this is will be my schedule for Capclave next month.

Friday, October 12th:
4:00 – 4:55 (Rockville/Potomac) Comic ReliefHow much comic relief can you put in a book before it gets shifted into the humor category? Does humor hurt or enhance a serious novel? Does it throw you out of the story if you expect Song of Ice and Fire and get a line right out of Xanth? What are examples of writers who get it right/wrong?Doug Fratz, Larry Hodges, James Maxey (M)

9:00 – 9:95 (Readings Room) Paper Golem Book Launch: Cucurbital 3Nine Authors, Three Prompts, One Anthology! Drop by and help celebrate the audacity of the small press!

Saturday, October 13tht
10:00 – 10:55 (Salons A & B) As you will (M)Anything goes? A panel without preconception or plan. Panelists talk about anything and everything.Inge Heyer, Bud Sparhawk

5:00 – 5:55 (Rockville/Potomac) FTL what the hell (M)Space the final frontier, how do you get characters there? Does the feasability of the described propulsion make or break a story?
John Ashmead, John G. Hemry, Yoji Kondo (Eric Kotani), Bud Sparhawk

8:30 – 10:25 (Salons A & B) Small Press AwardsMy Amazing Conroy story, “Yesterday’s Taste,” has been nominated. Competition is very stiff, and I’ve been practicing my “it’s an honor just to have been nominated” speech. Pretty easy, because it’s true.

All in all a pretty full weekend. And of course, Barry will be there too, eager to meet people and garner a few more photos for his Facebook page.

Capclave is just around the corner (if you can handle the metaphor of laying out the calendar like a road map) and I’ve just received the first in what will likely be a series of schedules. Still, it’s looking quite interesting, and I’m very fond of this convention because the programming is always fine and the people who attend are just a delight.

Friday, October 12th:
4:00 – 4:55 (Rockville/Potomac) Comic ReliefHow much comic relief can you put in a book before it gets shifted into the humor category? Does humor hurt or enhance a serious novel? Does it throw you out of the story if you expect Song of Ice and Fire and get a line right out of Xanth? What are examples of writers who get it right/wrong?Doug Fratz, Larry Hodges, James Maxey (M)

5:00 – 5:25 (Readings Room) ReadingI’m not certain what I’ll be reading yet, but it’s pretty likely that I’ll be giving away a plush buffalito to someone who shows up. So, you know, show up!

Saturday, October 13tht
9:00 – 9:55 (Salons A & B) As you will (M)Anything goes? A panel without preconception or plan. Panelists talk about anything and everything.Inge Heyer, Bud Sparhawk, Ian Randal Strock

5:00 – 5:55 (Rockville/Potomac) FTL what the hell (M)Space the final frontier, how do you get characters there? Does the feasability of the described propulsion make or break a story?
John Ashmead, John G. Hemry, Yoji Kondo (Eric Kotani), Bud Sparhawk

8:30 – 10:25 (Salons A & B) Small Press AwardsMy Amazing Conroy story, “Yesterday’s Taste,” has been nominated. Competition is very stiff, and I’ve been practicing my “it’s an honor just to have been nominated” speech. Pretty easy, because it’s true.

It’s not clear yet when it will happen, but somewhere in the midst of this convention weekend there should be a small launch party for Cucurbital 3, the latest anthology from Paper Golem. I’m even expecting some of the authors to be there, so you’ll be able to get your copies signed!

And that’s the current state of my schedule. Changes will be posted as they occur.

Monday, September 3rd
10:00 – noon (Sandburg) Writers’ Workshop -Section U
4:01 – next several days (offsite) Recovery Time – Enjoying the City of my Birth!

And again, I won’t be attending the SFWA Business Meeting because I’m running the Codex Breakfast which is at the same time.

Since I’ll be giving away copies of my new Amazing Conroy novella, “Barry’s Tale,” I decided that I should do something totally different during my read. Barry himself will still be present, and some lucky attendee will get a free buffalito plushie just for showing up, but I’m going to read from my recently published story “Coca Xocalatl” in the new ReDeus shared world anthology. Because, who doesn’t want to come and hear me mangle the names of half a dozen ancient Aztec gods?

Looking forward to seeing all of you (and yes, especially you!) in Chicago.

I’ve got about forty-eight hours in which to work through the remaining thirty or so tasks on my TO DO list before it’s time to grab some sleep, wake up, throw my bags in the car, and head off to the airport for my flight to Chicago and the whirlwind of the qep’a’ and Chicon 7 that follows.

One of the items on that list involved packing up and shipping a box of plush buffalitos (prizes/giveaways at some of my Worldcon programming). As you can see, they did not want to go into the box.

Even though Chicon 7, the 70th World Science Fiction Convention is still many months away, preparations are nonetheless underway.

Hadley Rille Books will be launching my third Amazing Conroy book (we’re still haggling over the words in the title, but you can be assured the first word will be Buffalito), and because it’s the Worldcon, they’re doing it up right!

Sure, we’ll have ribbons. But… everyone has ribbons. What everyone doesn’t have are plush buffalitos!

That’s right, you read it correctly. In celebration of the new books we’ll have an limited supply of adorable plush buffalo dogs (just like Barry, the plucky fellow who’s been riding on my shoulder at conventions for years).

I’m telling you about this now because the shipment just arrived (not sure whether from Gibrahl or Vermont). They currently contained in a large cardboard box, but seriously, how long can we expect that to hold them? They’re buffalitos after all!

Day Three is about to start. Mind you, I’ve been here since Friday night (due to the KLI conference that preceded the Worldcon). My feet are very sore by the end of each day, but it’s all been glorious fun and well worth it.

In a bit over an hour I’ll be meeting up with about 40 members of Codex, the online writing community found by Luc Reid. We will have breakfast and tell many lies to one another I’m sure. After that, the rest of the day is a whirlwind of activity: